Fluid operated pump



lApril 5, 1938. R. E.. LEoNARD 2,113,213

l I FLUIDc OPERATED PUMP 'v For E-LEo/VARD,

A TTORNEY.

April 5, 1938. y K re. E. yLEONARD FLUID OPERATED PUMP V Filed June 8. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2A INVENTOR: Ro Y LEO/VAR D.

Patented Apr. 5,

' `UNITED 's'rArasA PATENT orales, 'i

2,113,213 p FLUID ornna'rnn PUMP Boy n. Lennard, Alhambra, Calif. Application .inne s, 193s, 'serial No. 84,043 f 7 claims. (ci. 10s-5) This invention relates to pumps and more particularly to fluid-operated pumps for pumping wells, such as water wells and oil wells. This invention is an improvement over my fluidvoperated pump disclosed in my application, filed July 12, 1935, Serial No. 30,9961." v

The general object of the invention is to providea pump of the character stated which is simple in construction, practical and emcient in' operation.

Other objects andadvantages will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed' drawings which form a part of this speciilcation l5 and in which, l

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal missen of my pump illustrating one of the pump Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of my pump, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section,

illustrating one of the pump units.

Fig. 3 is a view of my pump with intermediate portions thereof broken out, showing a plurality of the pump units in elevation and brought closely together, and showing other parts of the pump in longitudinal section including the fluid-pressure chamber.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section o! one of the pump units', taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1. 3U Fig. 5 is a horizontal section ofV one oi.' the pump units, taken on line 5--5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section o! one of the pump nnnw.. 1

the upper end of said casing, there being a. packing box. I0 in said'head surrounding said outlet pipe 5. Avuid inlet pipe Il extends into and is screw seated inv said casing head 9.

Each pump unit i comprises a stator I2,`a rotor 5 l2 and a valve Il.

The statory I2 comprises a lower base member I5. a top member i8, a plurality oi superimposed spaced annular vane members I1, I8, and i9, and a pair of spacing sleeves 20 and 2i. The 10 lbase member I5 is provided with a plurality of uid inlets 22 near its upper end, which inlets are spaced around said member in the side wall thereof equidistantly apart. The lower end wall of said base member is formed with a `central 15 inlet 23 and a depending internally-threaded coupling 24 communicating with said'inlet. In the coupling 2l of eachpump unit I, except the lowermost unit, is screw-seated the upper end of a connecting pipe 2, and in the'coupling- 2l 20 of the lowermost pump unit is screw-seated the' upper end of the inlet pipe I. The base member l5 of each pump unit is formed with an an- -nular internal seat 25 upon which the valvel i4 of the unit rests in its-lowermost position while 25 uncovering the iluid inlets 22-in said base member. The top member i8 of each pump unit I is formed with a lower wall 26, an annular inner wall 21 and an outer wall 2l `which converges upwardly andl terminates in an upwardly-extending internally-threaded coupling 29 with which communicates the outlet 30 in said top y mnmhnr 'Vhl' hng fnrmed in Said t0n ner sleeve 3'5 and at their outer ends to an outer sleeve 36, said vanes being inclined and curved slightly from their lower edges to their upper edges, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The inner sleeve 35 of .the lowermost vane member I1 extends downwardly from said member to a point near the lower end of the base member I 5, and the valve Il is slidably fitted between the outer side of said sleeve and the inner side of the cylindrical wall of said base member above the seat 25 on said wall as illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings.

The rotor I3 comprises an elongated tubular journalr turnably fitted within the inner sleeves 35 ofthe stator vane members I1| I8 and I9 and the inner annular wall 21 of the top member it, a pair of vertically spaced annular vane members 38 and 39 and a helical blade impeller til disposed vertically within and secured to said tubular journal. The vane members 3B and 3S comprise respectively a plurality of spaced radial vanes ti, connected attheir inner ends to a hub 42, formed on the journal 31, and at their outer ends toan annular sleeve 43 turnably fitted Within the spacing sleeves '2B and 2| respectively, said varies being inclined slightly from their lower edges to their upper edges in a direction opposite to that of the vanes 3l of the stator 'Vane mem.- bers I1, I8 and I9. The rotor vane member 38 is disposed between the stator vane members I1 and I8., while the rotor vane member 39 is disposed between the stator vane members I8 and I9, with the hubs 42 of said rotor vane members resting upon the upper ends of the inner sleeves 35 of said stator vane members I1 and I8 respectively, whereby the rotor I3 is supported in operative position within the stator I2, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. i Thewell casing 1, packer 8 and head 9 form a duid-pressure chamber 5U. A valve pressure chamber 5I is formed in the lower end of the pump unit I below the lower end of the impeller 40,- rotor journal 31, inner sleeve 35 of the stator vane member I1 and float-valve seat 25 for the purpose hereinafter described.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

My pump is constructed and arranged so that all of the pump units I may be submerged in the oil in the well casing 1, assuming the well to be an oil well, below the normal or natural level of the oil, indicated' 52 in Fig. 3 of the drawings. v

With my pump sp submerged fluid under pres-v sure, preferably compressed air or natural gas, is introduced from a source of supply through the supply pipe II into the upper end'of the fluid-pressure chamber Il within the well casing 1, which fluid fills the space in said chamber between the oil level 52 and the casinghead O, and

v the pressure of'said fluid upon the oil forces the same rst through the inlets- 22 in the uppermost pump unit I, and upwardly through said unit between the vanes of its stator member I1,

. rotor member 20, stator member Il, i'otor mem-` ber 2 I stator member I9, through nozzles 3l and outlet 30 of said pump unit, and through the outlet pipe 5, whereupon the rotor I2 of said pump unit is rotated and oil is drawn by the impeller Il of said rotor upwardly through the pump from the fluid-pressure chamber 8l and out of the well through the outlet pipe I, which lowers the level of the oil in said chamber Il. When the level of the oil is lowered in said fluidpressure chamber il below the inlets 22'inv said uppermost pump unit I, fluid under pressure,-

insteadoroihfromsaidchamberilpaues velocity by the action of the iluid pressure upon the v'ane members I1, 20, I8, 2i, and I9 successively and the fluid passing over the upper end of the rotor journal 31 aerates or gasifles the oil, which' passes out of the rotor journal and outlet pipe 5, and thereby augments the lifting action of the impeller 40 of said uppermost pump unit. As the uppermost pump unit I is operated by the uid, as aforesaid, the pressure of the iiuid upon the oil in the chamber 50 forces oil through the inlets 22 of the next lower pump unit I and upwardly through said unit, and operates said pump unit in the same manner as said uppermost unit was initially operated by the oil,l

journal is further restricted by theimpeller 40 of the uppermost pump unit, a substantial portion of the oil under pressure entering the lower end of the uppermost unit is diverted into the .pressure chamber 5I against the under side of the valve I4 and raises said valve until it closes the inlets 22 of said-uppermost pump unit I, shutting olf the fluid from the pressure chamber 50 into said uppermost pump unit, whereupon the rotor I3 of said uppermost unit is no longer rotated by uid under pressure entering the unit through its inlets 22- from the pressure chamber 5B, and the lifting action of the uppermost pump unit ceases, but the oil is then lifted'through the pump by the next lower pump unit I. I'he pump units below said next lower pump unit are progressively operated to lift the oil therethrough, and such lifting operation discontinued as above described, as the level of the oil descends in the pressure chamber Il, until only the 'lowermost pump unit I is operated by the fluid under pressure in said pressure chamber 50, whereupon-the inlet valve 4 is raised oil its seat, so that oil is pumped by said lowermost pump unit from the bottom of `the well, below the packer 8,'up through'the pump and out through the outlet pipe 5. If the load becomes too great for the lowermost pump unit I, any one or more of the units above said lowermost unit will automatically be operated by the duid under pressure its lower en d, said pump unit comprising a vane stator, a vane rotor, Ia valve normally resting below said 'uid inlets, and an impellerfor liftins liquid through4 said unit. said rotor being formed with a tubular journal rotatably mounted in said stator and'communicating at its ends respectively with said. inlet and said outlet, the space occupied by the vanes of said stator and. said rotor communicating with said fluid inlets and at its upper end with said outlet, and the space below inlet in the lower end of said pump unit.

2. In a fluid-operated pump, a pump unit provided with aninlet mits lowerend, an outlet in its upper end, and duid inlets in its sides near its said valve communicating with saidl v 2,113,218 lower end, said pump unit comprising a vane stator, a vane rotor, a valve normally resting below said iluid inlets, and a helical blade impeller .-for lifting liquid through said unit, said rotor being formed with a tubular journal rotatably said inlet in the lower end of said pump unit.

3. In a duid-operated pump, a pump4 unit provided with an inlet in its lower end, an outlet in its upper end, and fluid inlets in its sides near its lower end, said pump unit comprising a vane stator, a vane rotor, a valve normally resting below said iluid inlets, and an impeller for lifting liquid through said unit, said rotor being formed with a tubular journal rotatably mounted in said stator and communicating at its ends respectively with said inlet and said outlet, said unit being provided with a plurality of annularly-spaced ducts leading from the upper end of the space, occupied by the vanes or said stator and said rotor, into said outlet and said space communieating with said uid inlets, and there being a pressure chamber below said valve communicating with said inlet in said pump unit.

4. In a fluid-operated pump. a pump unit provided with an inlet in its lower end, an outlet in its upper end, and iluid inlets in its sides near its lower end, said pump unit comprising a vane stator, a vane rotor, a valve normally resting below said uid inlets, and a helical blade impeller for lifting liquid through said unit, said rotor being formed with a tubular journal rotatably mounted in said stator and communicating at its y ends respectively with saidinlet and said outlet,

` said unit being provided with a plurality of annularly-spaced ducts leading from the upper end of the space, occupied by the vanes oi.' said stator and said rotor, into said outlet, and said space communicating with'saidfluid inlets and there at its upper end with said outlet. saidtubular 4rotor journal being smaller in diameter than the being a. pressure chamber below said valve communicating with said inlet in said pump unit.

5. 'I'he pump unit as characterized by claim 1,

in which the statoris formed with a plurality of spaced -vane members and therotor. is formed with a plurality of spaced vane members inter,- posed between the stator vane members. y

6. In a fluid-operated pump, a pump unit provided with an inlet in its lower end, an'outlet in `its`upper end and iluid inlets in its sides near its 10 lower end, said pump unit comprising avane stator, a vane rotor, a valve normally'resting below said :duid inlets, and-an impeller for lifting liquid through said unit, said rotor being formed with a tubular journal rotatably mounted in said stator and communicating at its ends respectively with said inlet and said outlet, the space occupied by the vanas of said statorv and said rotor communieating at its lower end with said iluid inlets and inlet in the lower end of said pump unit, and said valve surrounding said rotor Journal, there being a valve-pressure chamber in the lower end. oi' said unit below said valve communicating with said inlet.

'1. A uidfoperated Dump Comprising a fluid pressure chamber closed at its lower end witha packer and at its upper end with a head, a plurality of vertically spaced rotary pump units in said fluid-pressure chamber, pipes connecting said units, an inlet pipe connected to the lowermost unit and leading through said packer into the bottom of a well,.,an outlet check valve in said inlet pipe, an outlet pipe leading from the upperpipe leadinginto the upper end ot ,said huidpressure chamber, said pump units being oon- Astructed and arranged to operate vely from the uppermost to the lowermost unit, under 40 the inuence of the uid pressure upon liquid.

35 most pump unit through said head, a fluid-supply 

